A visit home

Sullivan and I went home this past weekend for our dear friend Courtney's wedding. We enjoyed seeing everyone and celebrating as much as we could, as Lee couldn't join us. Every family member of mine stepped up to babysit so that I could spend time with Courtney and attend all of the events! (Thank you Mom, Lauren, Colleen and Randy!)
Above you see Sullivan with her "Waylo" (my dad) in her handmade (by Gigi) Christmas dress!, then Courtney and close friend Ashley moments before the wedding ceremony and then...the most hilarious ones! Sullivan in her car seat after a long, long journey home! Ha! Picture this...after minute #75 of her crying and squawking and after I had sang every song that I could muster, some how my "go go gadget arm" reached back to find graham crackers in her diaper bag and then dangle them over her until her little paws grabbed them!? The crackers did the trick and I didn't hear a peep from her during the last 25 minutes or so, but this is what she looked like when I got her out of the car! Graham cracker goo everywhere! (I mean, what should I have expected!?) She flailed her legs with delight as I giggled over her appearance...and Smokey enjoyed lapping it all up off of her as well! Ha!

Fall leaves

One of the many reasons we love our home is because of our amazing oak and maple trees, which produce a plethora of colorful leaves this time of year. I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the house and of Sullivan seated among the bounty of autumn! I just had to make sure she didn't eat too many leaves!

Boo Bash!

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Our local public library offers an array of children's programs, and one of our current favorites is a Bouncing Babies class. We love it! We sing songs, rhymes, read books and play with instruments, bubbles and toys. This week they hosted their Halloween Boo Bash and Sullivan, Dane and Evan Thomas dressed to the nines as you can see! We had a great time taking photos, but it was a zoo in there and we quickly had to escape! Hooray for first Halloween memories!

Playdate with Dane and Evan Thomas

Sullivan is one lucky little girl to have two handsome boys to play with! My friend Katherine and her son Evan Thomas graciously hosted a playdate this week for us and Beth and baby Dane. The three of them had a blast and it is always amazing to watch them interact, coo and babble to one another! We are really fortunate to have made good friends here in Greenville...

Gigi and Asheville!

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Well, this week and weekend were filled with good times! My mom, Gigi, came to visit last Wednesday and Sullivan got even more grandma love! This is such a special month in that both Lee's mom and my mom were able to visit. Sullivan and Gigi enjoyed the clutch Gigi-visit activities: going to the Kmart across our neighborhood, strolling, playing and singing, reading books and snuggling. Lee and me in turn were given the opportunity to get away for a while and check out Asheville, NC. Only about 1 hr and 15 minutes away, it was convenient and easy, yet offered us a wealth of art galleries, colorful people, great cuisine and rolling blue mountain vistas. We stayed in a warm bed and breakfast right next door to Mars Hill College just outside of town and felt rejuvenated by exploring downtown Asheville, catching the Mars Hill college football game, drinking red wine, savoring delicious cheese plates and noodle bowls, walking through a Jewish food festival and even getting to share in mass at the Basilica St. Lawrence. A much needed escape for us...

Honey and Gran!

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Our Honey and Gran visited from Alabama this week! How fun! Sullivan was delighted to be awash with attention and love (and a new wardrobe!) from her precious paternal Grandmother and Great Grandmother! From playing, feeding, shopping, visiting a bakery and wandering through the downtown Festival "Fall for Greenville", we've had a fantastic time together. This visit was a nice bright spot for Lee to get to see his wonderful mom and Gran as he is working so hard in the crazy ER. Say a prayer for him! Also, the weather has been cool and windy here and our trees in our yard are changing to bright orange and red and even beginning to drop to the ground. Fall is here!

Smiling and Swinging

The days keep going by so quickly! I can hardly believe that Sullivan will soon be 7 months old! Lee is now doing an ortho rotation in the ER and is working hard as ever, with all the craziness of the emergency room climate. My teaching is going well and my two classes are moving along into the midterm of the semester without many bumps. Sullivan is thriving at her childcare center (2 days a week) and seems to love their array of toys and interacting with the other babies. They even had fall picture day last week and I dressed her up in her Halloween costume (as a fluffy puppy dog suit a friend let us borrow) and her teachers told me that the photographer placed her in some huge pumpkin!? I can't wait to see the results! Ha!
Here are some recent pics of our girl playing inside and with daddy on our new backyard swing. She looks more and more like Lee, huh?